Thom's Game
by Angel-Goddess
Summary: Thom notices his sister is lonely, and decides to find the right guy for her. And to do that he's going to do the unpredicatable ... He's going to host a Bachelor Game!!
1. The Game

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the people in this fic, they belong to Tamora Pierce. 

Hello everyone, I'm REALLY sorry that I haven't been updating any of my stories lately, but my computer caught a virus called VBS.LoveLetter.VAR, and I had to do heaps of things to get it out of system.

** Just a small note for you to remember, Alanna isn't wed in this fic yet, and it's 4:26 in the morning, so please don't send me any flames if u found this story a bit sad. I'm just bored, and I didn't have anything else to do … Oh, and their quite OOC!

~*~*~*~*~

Prologue

The Game

~*~*~*~*~

            Thom pinned a few parchments here and there throughout the palace, posters saying, 'Who wants to marry Alanna of Trebond?' 

Thom snickered, he knew that his sister was lonely without someone to be there for her. She just didn't admit it because she was too stubborn. Thom on the other hand knew how soft and venerable she really was in the inside, despite the tough and stubborn mask.

He knew that if his sister got hold of one of these posters, she would no doubt to something … horrible. Anyway, he shouldn't think of the negative points of what he was doing now, the only thing was, he was helping his sister find her soul mate…

~*~*~*~*~

"Hey Alanna, I have a surprise for you!" called Thom cheerfully, opening her bedroom door and pulling the windows open so that morning sunlight would come in.

Alanna groaned and turned her back to the window, pulling her bed covers over her head. 

Thom tugged the covers off, "Come on Alanna! Don't you want to see your surprise that I have planned for you?" he questioned her.

Alanna gave an exasperated sigh, "Alright, Alright. I want my breakfast first." She said a little to grumpily.

Her twin raised his eyebrows, "Nope, definitely _not_ a morning person."

~*~*~*~*~

"So what's this surprise that you have in mind?" she asked him. 

He grinned, "You'll see!" he said excitedly. He pulled a blindfold over her eyes…

A few minutes later … 

"Are we there yet?" asked Alanna impatiently. Thom pulled off her blindfold a moment later.

Alanna looked around her surroundings, totally confused. Her eyes immediately feel on a huge crowd of guys. 

"Wh-What's going on Thom?" she asked hesitantly.

"No time to explain my dear sister!" said Thom. He clamped his hand around her wrist and with a wave of his hand, a chair appeared. 

He gently sat her down and once he did, a blue belt came out of nowhere and bound Alanna to the chair, so that she wouldn't go anywhere.

***Ahem*** Thom cleared his throat, getting everyone's attention. "Welcome gentlemen to today's show, 'Who wants to marry Alanna of Trebond?' I am Thom of Trebond, and this lovely young lady here, seated on the chair is Alanna…"

Alanna gasped when her eyes landed on a huge sign saying, '**Who wants to marry Alanna of Trebond?**' 

"WHAT!!??" she cried out in sheer horror. She tried to get free from the chair. "Thom what are you doing!? Get me out of here, or I'll do something **_very_** harsh!!"

Thom paid no heed to her words however, and continued with his speech unfazed. "Now, it's time to meet our contestants …" 

Thom walked over to the nearest man. "Bachelor #1 is none other than the Crown Prince of Tortall Prince Jonathan of Conte. Sure he broke her heart once, but he's back and ready to win her heart _again_!"

Jon smirked slightly at Thom's comment.

"Now… moving on to Bachelor #2, Please welcome George of… err … George. George has been long time friends with Alanna, and he is definitely going to try to win her heart." 

George grinned, his hazel eyes glittering with mirth.

"Bachelor #3 is a very well known Shang fighter that decided to drop by Corus, please welcome the great Shang Dragon, Liam Ironarm!"

Liam just smiled and bowed gracefully.

"Bachelor #4, is a young and well known knight, he's been friends with Alanna for nearly 8 years, please welcome Gareth of Naxen!" Introduced Thom.

Gary grinned, "Call me Gary." He stated.

By now Alanna was in a mad fit, "Why!!!?? How could you!!!??" she kept calling out questions. 

Thom bit his lip to keep from laughing, "Be quiet dear sister." He said softly and waved his hand at her direction. Alanna opened her mouth to threaten him, but no sound came out of her mouth. She glared at her 'oh-so-caring brother'.

"Now, to Bachelor #5 … **ARGH!** What are _you_ doing here!?" cried Thom in shock and surprise. Everyone turned their heads in the direction of the man Thom was speaking to.

Roger grinned evilly, "Well, I've come to join the game of course." He stated simply.

Jon glared at his cousin, "B-b-but you **_hate_** Alanna!" he spluttered in surprise.

Roger shrugged. "_SO_?" 

George glared at him too, "Well this game is called, 'Who wants to '_marry'_ Alanna. Not 'kill' Alanna!" Roger merely shrugged again.

Thom looked a little unsure, but in the end he shrugged it off. "*Ahem* Well anyone, Bachelor #5 is none other than the rotten, evil scum with the title Duke of Conte, Roger."

Roger just sneered at Thom.

Thom sighed, "Everyone, let's take a short break … I'll introduce to you the next contestants after."

~*~*~*~*~

***Ducks as apple cores and other sorts of stuff are thrown***  Sorry!! Sorry!! I know it's lame, but PLEASE spare me the embarrassment; it's 5:11 in the morning! ***Bursts into tears*** Please don't send me any flames, I only wrote this story since I was bored! Though I'd like some 'nice' feedback for this … erm … out of the world story.

**THIS IS A TOLL, REVIEW AND TELL ME WHICH PAIRING YOU THINK WOULD BE BEST FOR THIS STORY (**May the best Bachelor Win!)

Jonathan

George

Liam

Gary

Roger

(There's still more guys coming into the story, but this is a head start for some of the Jon/Alanna or George/Alanna fans !)

Luv ya all!

~*~Angel~*~****


	2. Round One

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters in this story. They belong to Tamora Pierce.

Yay! I'm so happy that I actually got reviews for _this_ story! It's surprising for me really. I didn't think I would get any. 

~*~*~*~*~

Round One

~*~*~*~*~

            Thom drank the rest of his wine and sighed with contentment. "Okay, now back to the game …" he said, proud of himself.

            The men there were shuffling nervously, wondering who was going to be introduced next. Thom winked at his sister, who was pale with fury.

            _Your going to get it Thom, I'm going to make you regret that you've done this to me once it's over …_ Alanna thought evilly.

~*~*~*~*~

"Now that you have met 5 of our Bachelor guests, let me introduce to you our remaining 5 Bachelors!" Thom announced.

"Here we have bachelor number #6, please welcome one of the best fencers at court, Alexander of Tirragen! Former friend of Alanna, but it seems he's a _little_ attracted to her at the moment…"

Alex turned red and glared at Thom. Alex then looked around the men he was competing with. He seemed to have spotted one in particular.

"Why your grace! How nice it is to see you again!" Alex called, waving at the Duke of Conte.

"Quiet!" Thom roared glaring daggers. Alex cringed and moved back a it.

"Now we have Bachelor #7. Another one of Alanna's close friends. He's big … he's tough … he's Raoul of Goldenlake!"

Raoul gave a merry grin and waved at everyone.

Jon frowned a little at this a look of jealousy hinted in his features, "Raoul? Don't tell me _your_ attracted to Alanna too!?" 

Raoul made a face, "I only signed up since Gary did, I didn't even know what it was." He protested.

"No comments please. I'm the one doing all that!" Thom scowled at the prince. Jon bit his lip from saying another word.

"Moving on to our 8th Bachelor… He's a year mate of Alanna and he knows her quite well. Sacharell of Wellam, please step up to the stage!"

Sacharell was next to Alanna's chair grinning at her and saying flirty words in her ear, making Alanna blush and look away in embarrassment. Alanna was about to say something close to a threat, but remembered that she couldn't make any remarks.

"HEY! Your not supposed to flirt with her yet, it's unfair for the other bachelor's since your already trying to win her over!" Thom called out.

There were echoes of "Boo!" and "That's not fair!" from the boys that had already been introduced.

Sacharell sighed, "Alright, Alright, Hold your horses!" and got up on the 'stage'.

"Here we have _another _one of Alanna's year mates and a good friend of her's too. Please put your hand together for Bachelor #9, Douglas of Veldine!"

Douglas strode forward proudly and bowed. Liam snorted in amusement. Douglas shot him an annoyed glance. "What are you laughin-" he started angrily before a furious Thom interrupted him.

"I said quiet!" Thom roared.

Thom took a couple of deep breaths to calm him. He wasn't usually like this. "And last but not least, we have the young and proud knight, the same age as Alanna. Everyone I introduce to you Bachelor #10, Geoffrey of Meron!"

Geoffrey waved his arms around and started blowing kisses at everyone.

"Ewww …" Gary made a face. "I only take things like that from Ladies."

Everyone on stage started snorting with laughter. 

Thom cleared his throat, successfully getting everyone's attention. "Now that we have met our Bachelor's it's time for Round One!"

~*~*~*~*~

Alanna groaned wondering what her brother would do next. She looked up at the bright blue sky and silently prayed to the gods, hoping that she would live through this day.

Thom walked to the front of the gentlemen. "For this round you will have to answer the question, 'If you were to do something romantic for Alanna, what would you do?' You have 5 minutes to think about this question."

~*~5 minutes later~*~

"Prince Jonathan, what would you do for Alanna?" Thom asked the confident Prince.

Jon smiled a little smugly and looked in Alanna's direction. "I would give her anything that she desires and let her command as many of my armies as she wishes. Oh, and I'd make a day where all the people in Tortall buys a gift for her to show how loyal they are to her." He said proudly raising him nose in the air.

Alanna sniggered, _Who ever said I wanted to command armies? But hey, getting anything that I desire would be good._

"Very convincing, Jon. George, what would you do?" Thom asked, turning to the thief.

George smiled warmly, "I would try to always be there for her when she needs me and go out of my way to keep her happy." He said sweetly.

Alanna beamed and sighed, _Aww, how sweet!_

Thom grinned, "A _wonderful_ answer, George!" 

Jon snorted, "Hey, I'd do that too." He quickly said, "And I wo-" Jon stopped his bragging shortly seeing Thom's face, which clearly stated, 'Be Quiet!'

"Now Liam, what would you do?" Thom asked the Dragon, who was waiting patiently.

"I would teach her how to fight the Shang way and make sure she gets her share of adventure." Liam said with a smile.

"Oh, you definitely know Alanna's type!" Thom said in a slight surprise.

Alanna perked up at the sound of 'Fight Shang Way' and 'Adventure', _Ohhh… that sounds like a _great_ offer!_ She thought, day dreaming about more adventures.

Thom noticed his sister's mind was slowly drifting off somewhere, "You should be listening to this 'Lanna!" he called to her, making her snap out of her fantasy world. 

"What about you Gary?" Thom turned to Gary, who had a nervous look on his face.

"I would take her for a lovely dinner, and a walk through a romantic garden filled with blooming roses under a moonlit night full of stars." Gary stated simply.

Alanna grinned, _He does that to every single lady as far as I know. But then again, I wouldn't mind that. It sounds nice._

Thom grinned at Gary's answer, "Very well said, Gary!" 

Thom turned to the next bachelor, a small scowl appearing on his face, "Roger, what would you do?"

Roger was inspecting his nails. "I would give her more power, brainwash her, order her to kill Jon, marry her then let her rule Tortall alongside of me." He said in a bored tone, and then looked up to flash an evil grin.

Thom shuddered, "I don't really like the sound of that." He said bluntly.

Gary hit Roger over the head, "Were talking 'romance' here, _Oh-so-great-one_!"

"I said no comments!" Thom said for the 4th? 5th? time of the day.

Alanna was quivering, _Brainwash me, Kill Jon and  Marry Me!!??Mithros no, that's horrible!!_

"Alex? What would you do?"

Alex thought for a moment, "I won't let Roger kill her and make sure that she trains in the courts everyday."

Thom raised his eyebrow at the pathetic answer. "Uh … yeah … okay…"

Alanna sniggered again and shook her head, _I already train in the courts everyday. _

"Now Raoul, you say you know Alanna a lot, let's see if you have the right answer …"

Raoul shrugged, "The most romantic thing … hmm … I'm not really that romantic, but I'll give it a shot. I would try and learn how to play an instrument, then I'll write a song for her and play it for her. Oh, and I'll let her skip the balls that Jon always holds for welcoming guests."

Thom snickered a little, "That's quite an interesting answer." He complimented Raoul.

Raoul grinned, "I always like to please Alanna." He commented with a cheeky wink in Alanna's direction.

Alanna nodded, _Not a too bad answer at all, I like the sound of skipping Jon's formal balls._

"Sacherell of Wellam, what would you do?" Thom questioned the boy who was idling about.

"I would treat her to the finest food, let her go where she wishes and have a day of the week where we go out and explore places." Sacherell said, a hint of nervousness in his voice.

Thom smiled, "That sound really sweet."

Alanna nodded in contentment, _Exploring sound really good too. I never knew that some of these people know what I like best!_

"Explore places?" asked Liam, "Heh, Adventure's better for our feisty young Lioness."

Thom growled, in annoyance at the interruption. "Honestly, you people can't keep your comments to yourself!"

"Douglas?" Thom turned his full attention the young knight.

"I would make sure that I'm always there for her and give her the time she needs to do whatever she wishes."

"That sounds real interesting!" Thom nodded, "What do you think Alanna?" he asked a warm smile plastered on his face, as he looked at his twin.

Alanna shrugged, _Not too bad I guess …_ she thought.

"Hey! You stole my line!" cried George, pointing an accusing finger at Douglas, who had a blank look on his face. "I was the first one to say, 'I will always be there for her' and you stole my line!"

Thom sighed, "Anyone can take that line, George, it's not copyrighted!" he argued back.

"But he's trying to steal my Alanna from me!" protested George, disappointment crossing his face.

"Stop this nonsense, I'm the ones making the rules here! And I'm the only one who can speak, you can't speak unless I invite you to!" Thom scolded the men crossly. A few soft mutters can be heard as the men shifted uneasily under Thom's unnerving purple gaze.

"Now, to our last Bachelor, we hope you have a good answer… So Geoffrey, what romantic thing would you do for Alanna?" asked Thom, after calming down a bit.

"I pamper her with many things that she wishes and buy her what she wants, such as swords, armoury, things like that. I will also take her on a week long trip to places that she has never been visited out of Tortall." He said in a very convincing tone. 

Alanna tilted her head sideways slightly, thinking, _Hm … this'll be hard. I really like their romantic thoughts though._

Thom was beaming at everyone. "This is great, there's quite a competition here. Though unfortunately, the audience will vote out a person in each round. So you better make sure that you win Alanna and the audience over!" 

Alanna was waving her hands, trying to get Thom's attention. "Yes, Alanna, you can say something now." Thom said with a small sigh. With a wave of his hand, Alanna was able to speak again.

"Thom, your really going to pay for this!" Alanna said angrily.

Thom nervously laughed, "Well, what do you have to say to the bachelors?" he asked her.

Alanna thought for a moment or two. Then she smiled, "The offers were pretty good I guess…" she replied.

Her twin nodded, "Good, that's all I needed to know." And with another wave of his hand, Alanna couldn't speak again.

Thom smiled, "Okay, everyone, let's take another break, and I'll come back with Round Two!"

~*~*~*~*~

Please review, I want to know what you think of this weird story, I know it seems a bit sad sometimes and that the people are a little OOC, but please don't send me flames, I'm only writing this fic because I've got a writers block and I can't think of anything else to do.

****

**** THIS IS A POLL, BUT THIS TIME, IT'S AN **ELIMINATION** ROUND! VOTE FOR THE PERSON THAT YOU WANT **OUT** OF THIS GAME** (in your review) May the best Bachelor win!****

****

Jon

George

Liam

Gary

Roger

Alex

Raoul

Sacherell

Douglas

Geoffrey

Luv ya all!

~*~Angel~*~****


	3. Round Two

Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters, they belong Tamora Pierce.

**_OH MY GOSH! I AM SOOOOOO SORRY FOR NOT UPDATING!!!_**

I know, I know, I've been slack, but … I had a writer's block! Please go easy on me, It's hard to think up answers for them.

PS. Thank you **so much** for the reviews!! Now on with the fic!

~*~*~*~*~

Round Two

~*~*~*~*~

            Thom grinned as he went through the elimination votes made by the audience. "I'm really sorry to say this *cough, cough*, but one of you _has _to go, I must say, it has been a very close vote!"

            The contestants took a deep breath and crossed their fingers, each one hoping that they were still in the game.

            "Well, I guess it's time for you to leave… " Thom took a deep breath, to make the next sentence more dramatic, "Alex. The audience all thought that your answer sucked, so bye-bye!"

            "_What!? _But… but …I'm _too_ good to be voted out!!" he protested, appalled that he wasn't even going to reach the semi-finals. He _hated_ to lose!

      Thom shook his head, "Majority wins, sorry Alexander." 

With a swift wave of his hand Alex disappeared from sight, with his scream of 'NOOOOooooooooo!!!!' echoing through the place.

      All the contestants went pale and gulped. Even Alanna was slightly shocked.

            Thom, noticing the contestants go pale, immediately assured them, "Oh, don't worry, I just teleported him back to the palace," Everyone there immediately let out their breaths that they never knew that they were holding.

            Thom whirled around and grinned like a hyena. "Now for the total number of votes..."

Alex                          ***eliminated***

Sacherell                                     10

George                                         9

Roger                                           8

Jon                                               7

Geoffrey, Douglas and Liam       6

Gary                                             4

Raoul                                            1

"Well Sacherell it looks like if you don't win the audience over, you could be next."

Sacherell remained silent as he flushed in embarrassment. He was behind Alex in leading votes? How was that possible?

            The host cleared his throat and announced in a loud clear voice, "Now for round two. Here is another question for you to answer … 'What do you hate about Alanna? Oh and you better be honest to this question.' you have 5 minutes to think of your answer." 

            Alanna glared daggers at her brother and smiled evilly as a plan came into her mind, _Hehehe. He'll be sorry for doing this to me, I'll give him a taste of his own medicine. Ahh, I can see it now, _'Who wants to fence with Thom of Trebond?'_ …or …_'Who wants to dress up Thom of Trebond?'_ Muahaha! _Evil laughter rang in her head as she thought of various ways of getting Thom back.

~:*:~ 5 minutes later ~:*:~

            "5 minutes is up, now lets see your answers, First up, we'll have Jonathan of Conte,' Thom motioned for the prince to step up.

            Jon flashed a 100 watts smile at Alanna and the audience; trying to cover up the nervous breakdown he was suffering (**A/N** Aww, look at that smile he's giving you!) "Well, what I hate about Alanna most is …" Jon paused, wondering what to say next and how he should say it, so it doesn't get Alanna mad at him, "The way she never accepts my invitations t-to t-t-the balls and… a-and… *sniffle, sniffle* hurts my feelings!" Jon sobbed in a heart broken way.

            Thom stared at the prince in shock and amusement. "Uhh…" Thom was speechless.

            Alanna rolled her eyes, _Him and his balls. _(**A/N** NO! Not _that_ way, you perverts!)

            George looked thoughtful, he moved his gaze away from Alanna, to avoid her unnerving stare. "Well, I don't really have anything to hate Alanna about…"

            Thom cut him off immediately, "I can see your lying, George," a white light was slightly highlighting George's feature showing that he was lying.

            George's face immediately turned a bright reddish-pink in colour. "Oh, alright, what I hate about Alanna is that … well, she never visits me enough! It's not fair, she's always with that spoiled prince Jonathan!" He cried out, pointing at the 'evil Jonathan' and with that George started to cry fountains of tears.

            Jon glared at the sobbing thief, "I'm not spoiled!" he cried out indignantly. 

            Thom stomped his foot angrily, his left eye twitching, "No comments allowed!" he growled.

            _…I never thought that George would hate me about _that_!_ Alanna thought raising her eyebrows in surprise.

            George's sniffles reduced to hiccups, his eyes were red rimmed and his nose was red, from blowing it.

            Liam stepped up, "Frankly, I don't know Alanna much, and so then, I have nothing to hate about her." Liam started to glow a slight white from Thom's spell.

            Thom raised an eyebrow, and Roger smirked.

            Liam saw that the gift was being used on him, and he yelped, turning as pale as a sheet of white paper. Liam opened his mouth … nothing came out; there were a few minutes of utter silence, no bird was singing, no horses were snorting, not even the frogs were croaking.

            A shrill high-pitched girlish scream pierced the air. 

"AAARRRGGGHHH!" The Shang Dragon's girly scream scared the birds out of the trees, made the horses run as far away as possible and the frogs jump into the water at once.

Everyone blocked their ears, trying to save their eardrums from bursting like rotten fruit. 

"The gift! Get it off! _Get it off!_" screeched the Shang Dragon as he ran around hysterically.

Thom muttered something, and at once, and white light around Liam disappeared.

Liam continued screeching. "I knew doi-"

"Will you shut up already!?" growled Roger in frustration. Boy, Roger sure looked ready to rip the Dragon to shreds. "The magic's been taken off you!"

The Dragon immediately stopped running around like a maniac and straightened his clothes, coughing twice softly into his fist, "Well, anyway, we, uh, better get one with the game," he stuttered, to cover his embarrassment.

Jon was sniggering, "Ohhh, looky-looky, the 'Legendary' Shang Dwagon is afwaid of da gift!" he teased.

Gary laughed heartily at Jon's lame joke, as if it was the best joke that had been told in a century. "Hehehe, Yeah! I know! Who would've thought!" he agreed. He kept laughing until he saw Thom, looking very irritated.

Liam was deep red from anger and embarrassment. 

Alanna was stunned as she watched the whole scene_, I never knew that anyone would be scared of the gift, sure some people hate the gift, but I haven't met anyone 'scared' of the gift. And this person is the legendary Shang Dragon! Hmph, maybe he's a phoney an-_

Thom interrupted Alanna's train of thoughts, "Alright, now let's hear what Gary has to say," he said quickly, afraid that a verbal fight would break out.

Gary looked deep in thought, which was a rare site. Finally he turned red, as he seemed to have picked an answer out. He grinned impishly, "Well, I don't really hate Alanna for this, but, I hated the way she never told me who she really was, and all through her page and quire years, she never told me that she was a girl.

And look at all the endless possibilities that I would've experienced if I had known that she was a girl, we could've started a wonderful relationship …" he trailed off, a dreamy look in his eyes.

Alanna shifted uneasily. _Gary would never change._

Jon puffed up his cheeks, clearly angry at Gary's answer. "Alanna didn't tell you because she knew you'd hit on her!" he accused his cousin.

Alanna rolled her eyes in irritation, _Typical of Jon to say such a thing._

Thom scratched his head, "Um, yes, that's … very nice. Now Roger, what about you?"

Roger grunted and pretended to think, "Oh, well, I don't have anything to hate her about…-" he said sarcastically, then he glared, changing his tone to an angry and annoyed one. "-Except if you add the fact that she had **killed** me by shoving her cursed sword into me! Oh, and there's her stupid cat that follows her around everywhere, oh, not to mention she hangs around the most ungrateful brat whom I can't wait to get my hands on! *Roger glares at Jon distastefully***** and the-"

"Roger, stop," Thom ordered, having enough of the Duke's rants.

Roger just gave Thom an icy death glare.

Alanna looked confused, _Wha…? I didn't get a word he said._

Jon shook his fist at his cousin angrily, and cried out, "Wait till I tell father this! He'll surely have your head!" he wailed.

Roger giggled stupidly, "Oh no he won't, you forget my dear cousin, I-"

"SHUT UP!" cried Thom, way beyond pissed off. Everyone shrunk back from Thom, acting quite like little children who had done something wrong. Thom took a deep breath to calm his nerves, "Thank you."

"Now our 7th bachelor, Sache-… where's Sacherell? Sacherell?" Everyone looked wildly around, each hoping that he was too scared to continue competition.

Suddenly, Sacharell popped out of the bushes, red faced and breathing heavily. "Help!" He gasped.

"What?" Thom asked desperately, thinking there was something terribly wrong.

"Old... *Breath* people... *breath*.... are chasing.... *breath*... after me.... *breath*."

"Why?" asked Thom.

"I...*breath* stole...*breath*... their... *breath*.... false teeth! *breath*!" Sacherell gasped.

Snorts echoed around the room, as the others tried desperately to cover up their amusement.

"Why on earth did you do that?" Thom asked, appalled.

"I wanted to show people what I hated most about Alanna," Sacherell said, finally regaining his breath.

"FALSE TEETH?" Thom cried.

More snorts.

"I ... I.... hate her smelly breath," Sacherall said quietly, turning red while he laughed nervously.

Alanna turned red in embarrassment. _My breath doesn't stink! … does it?_ Alanna thought with a small frown.

Jon started to laugh outloud as if hearing Alanna's thoughts. "Come to think of it, Alanna's breath does stink doesn't it!?"

Roger, despite him hating his cousin laughed along with Jon. "Just wait till you see her toenails! I've seen them once, when she took off her shoes, they were nearly an inch long!"

The rest of the contestants started to laugh uncontrollably.

To say Alanna was pissed off at the moment was an understatement.

Thom coughed, which sounded mysteriously like a giggle before he looked expectantly at Douglas.

"Douglas of Veldine, our 8th Bachelor, what is your answer?" Thom asked, crossing his arms.

Douglas wiped his streaming eyes and bit his lip, wracking his brain for an answer. "Um …" Douglas was silent for a few moment before saying brightly, "I hate the fact that she can use a sword better than us! I mean come on, we're men, she's a lady! Isn't there something wrong with that?! We're the ones supposed to protect ladies, not the other way around." He looked happy at his own answer.

Alanna scowled, clearly not please with the answer Douglas had given. _Chauvinistic Knight!_

Thom gave him an odd look. "Oh … well then …"

Geoffrey smiled, "I know what my answer is!"

Thom nodded.

Geoffrey suddenly looked upset, he pouted. Making him look … slightly mutilated "I wanted to use Lightning, but Alanna wouldn't lend it to me! She said that it had a special meaning to her –" Geoffrey ranted on and on.

Alanna nearly fell of her chair at the idiocy of the answer.

Roger suddenly put two cents into the answer, "That sword is evil I tell you! My hand was numb after touching it!"

"Really?" asked a curious looking Gary. "Is that why Alanna wouldn't share it with us too?"

"Yeah! I bet that's why she never lets us hold Lightning!" shouted Raoul, trying to be smart.

Thom looked like he had a major migraine. "STOP!" he cried, a vein had popped up on his head. He was obviously stressed out.

The contestants cowered before him. They were always taught not to mess with mages, especially powerful and short-tempered mages.

Thom regained his composure and said in a very professional and formal voice, "Well, there you have it, our Round Two. The next Round won't be a questioning Round. But a Round that determines which one of you are loyal to Alanna."

"What would we have to do?" asked a frowning Shang Dragon.

Thom grinned, "Simple! You'll scale a high, steep and slippery, snowy mountain. Alanna would be at the very top, and then you'll have to bring her back down!"

"**_WHAT!!!???_**" they all cried in horror.

"Okay everyone, let's take a break!" Thom said cheerfully.

~*~*~*~*~

Please review people! I want to know what you think of this story so far. I know it must be boring at some point and that its probably not even funny. But please review and tell me what you think. Only reviews keep me writing this story!

**** VOTE FOR THE PERSON THAT YOU WANT **OUT** OF THIS GAME** (in your review) May the best Bachelor win!****

****

Jon

George

Liam

Gary

Roger

Raoul

Sacherell

Douglas

Geoffrey

Luv ya all!

~*~Angel~*~****

PLEASE don't flame me! *begs on hands and knees* 


	4. Round Three

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters, their Tamora Pierce's!

A/N I'm SO sorry that I let you guys down by not updating for AGES! *Bursts into tears* It's all the teachers' fault! But not that I'm on holidays, I'm going to be updating a lot!! *Gets suspicious looks* … I swear!

**PS Thank you VERY much for the reviews! They were so kind and inspiring!**

~*~*~*~*~

Round Three

By Angel-Goddess

~*~*~*~*~

            Thom smirked, and with a wave of his hand, an envelope appeared – floating - in front of him. "It's been a very heated competition so far as to who the audience chooses to be eliminated … but in the end the audience were able to choose an unlucky bachelor …"

            The men all took a deep breath, their hearts were pounding and their hands were sweaty as they awaited the sacred words of Thom.

             "Your times up … Sacherell!" Thom's words rang out.

            Sacherell looked shocked and confused, "B-But! Hey! You must have miscalculated the votes! Are you sure that wasn't George?"

            George glared at him, "Of course it wouldn't be me! Everyone _loves_ me!" he screeched.

            Roger cackled, "Loves you? … Who would love _you?_" a few more men laughed as George pouted.

            "Quiet! Quiet! Or you'll be _all _eliminated!" Thom threatened. "No, Sacherell, I did not make a mistake! Take a look for yourself…

Alex                             ***eliminated***

Sacherell                                        32

Douglass                                        25

Geoffrey                                         23

Jon                                                  21

George                                            17

Roger                                             14

Liam                                              13

Gary                                                7

Raoul                                              5

Raoul cheered, "Yeah! I'm winning! Hahahaha! Take that all you losers!" Everyone grumbled darkly as they shot Raoul evil looks.

"Hahaha! I'm beating Jon! Hahaha! I'm beating Jon!" George chanted. Raoul and George clapped happily as they danced around the 'stage'.

Alanna sighed dejectedly. This was horrible. What exactly happened to them anyway? They weren't acting like the people she knew! Alanna was snapped out of her thoughts by a loud wail.

"Waaaaaaaaaaaaah!!!! This isn't … faaaaaaaaaaaaaaaiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiir!!!" Sacherell was on the ground curled tightly into a ball, whinging and bawling his eyes out.

Alanna would've fallen out of her seat in shock if she weren't tied to it. _Sacherell!? He's not even acting like a grown man!_

Thom shook his head, he looked like he was going to explode any moment. "Sacherell! Get your act together!"

"Mummy's gonna get mad I didn't win!" came the frightened childish wail from Sacherell.

Thom rubbed his temples wearily. Who ever knew that this game show would be such a drag? With a flash of white light, Sacherell disappeared like Alex did. Thom straightened his posture and a sudden evil-like grin appeared on his face. "It's time the fun began. This is our special round!" Thom took a deep breath.

"Okay, listen up, for this round all you competitors will have to scale a high, steep and slippery, snowy mountain – Which was created by my wonderful magic of course! - And Alanna would be at the _very _top, and then you'll have to bring her back down within a time limit. The rules are simple …

1. You have to get to her before she freezes

2. You cannot use your gift at all costs or you will be eliminated

3. You cannot push or shove anyone

4. The last person to finish shall be eliminated

… It's time we cut those ties!"

~*~*~*~*~

Thom handed Alanna a red coloured drink, "Here you go Alanna, you must be thirsty!"

Alanna glared at her brother for a moment, before accepting the drink. She took a long sip and started to feel her eyelids drop. "You … drugged it …" were her sleepy words as she drifted off to a dreamless sleep.

Thom muttered a few words under his breath and the ground shook roughly. Out of nowhere a huge mountain rose out of the ground. 

Thom crossed his arms a smirk lit his face as he stared at the rising giant.

~*~*~*~*~

"Mithros save me! Look at the size of that thing!" cried George as he stared at the 5800 m high mountain.

The rest of the men frowned uneasily as they stared up at mountain. Ice-cold snow covered the peak of the gigantic mound. As the rocks slowly rose into the sky, the more icier and bluer they were.

"Hey … what's that?" George squinted at the two figures at the top. His hazel eyes widened. "It's Alanna and Thom!" he exclaimed.

Jon bolted up, "Alanna! My dear Alanna! Is she alright!?"

"She's fine, she's going to wake up soon, so you better get into your positions." Came a voice behind George.

George jumped and squealed in surprise. He twirled around quickly and came face to face with a grinning Thom. "Don't do that!" he shrieked, embarrassed.

  Thom motioned for all of the men to gather at the base of the mountain.

~*~*~*~*~

"Ready …" Thom looked from one person to another. "**Go**!" 

The men rushed towards the mountain like a bunch of crazed people as Thom looked on in satisfaction.

~:*:~ Jon's POV ~:*:~

Without hesitation I started to climb the mountain in a rush to save my Alanna. My hands gripped the solid rocks tightly and I hauled myself up slowly and steadily. 

***45 minutes later***

"Great Mother Goddess! How long will I have to keep climbing this thing for!?" I cried as I reached a sign that taunted, 

_Having fun? Only 2900 meters to go!!! _

_Thom_

"2900 meters! You've got to be kidding!" I cried in frustration. I was standing on a large flat slab of rock so I took a step back.

"_Ouch!_" came a loud cry as I stepped on something soft. A loud string of curses followed.

~:*:~George's POV~:*:~

As I climbed the terror mountain something landed on my hand! It _hurt!_ "_Ouch!_" I cried and started to swear until the weight came off my hand. I looked up only to se a pair of amused blue eyes.

"Jonathan!!" I cried in aggravation. I glared at him, when he stifled laughter.

"I apologise! I didn't know you were there." Came the reply. I tried to drag myself on top of the stone when my other hand slipped.

"ARRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!" I screamed in panic. This was it! It was going to _die!_ My life flashed before my eyes … and stopped when I heard laughter.

~:*:~Gary's POV~:*:~

I looked to the left and was surprised to see Jon standing and looking down at a very angry looking George. They seemed to be talking about something. All I heard was, '… I didn't know you were there,' from Jon. I watched curiously as George tried to pull himself up on the rock that Jon was standing on.

Suddenly, George started to scream. He sounded _just_ like Liam! What I couldn't figure out was _why_ he was screaming. He was standing on a flat surface just like Jon. I started to laugh.

George opened his eyes and shot me a glare. Before crying out in delight, "I'm alive!"

Jon and I just gave him odd looks. An evil laugh filled the air.

~:*:~Roger's POV~:*:~

I laughed evilly, I was beating everyone; I only had 900 meters to go! "This was too easy!" I said to myself. I laughed ... and laughed … _and _laughed.

~*~*~*~*~

Thom sat in a soft luxury armchair drinking a refreshing cold wine as he watched a large mirror in front of him that viewed the progress of the competitors. He quirked an eyebrow at the laughing Duke of Conte.

***25 Minutes Later***

Roger reached the shivering Alanna. Ice covered her legs and was slowly creeping up. He started to laugh and shout, "I WIN!!!"  He screamed in victory. He started to jump and do a jig on the spot, suddenly; the so-called solid rock broke underneath him. "Argh! Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!" his scream slowly faded out as he fell.

George laughed merrily when he heard Roger scream and looked up only to find himself screaming. Roger fell on him and both men tumbled down the mountain (A/N Ouch!) George screeched when they finally stopped. They fell just under halfway down the mountain. "My knees! My _knees_! **Oh**! The _pain!_ The _humanity_!" George carried on in a fit as he watched his skinned knees bleed.

~*~*~*~*~

Gary and Jon were breathing hard as they raced each other to the top in an intense competition. Both were intent on getting to Alanna before the other. (A/N imagine a really out of breath grandpa talking!)

"You … aren't … going … to win … this … one," Jon wheezed as he stiffly hobbled on top of a rock.

"Oh … yes … I _am_ …" came the rasp reply as Gary weakly gripped onto another rock. 

Both got onto the top of the mountain at the exact same time, victory shining on their faces. They looked at where Alanna was supposed to be sitting only to have the victorious shine from their faces wiped out and disappointment replace them.

"_What!!!??? Who beat us here!?_" Both cried out in unison. Soon after the two had arrived at the top the other bachelors appeared.

The men looked at each other in shock and confusion. Liam frowned, "If every one of us is here … who rescued Alanna!?" He enquired.

Silence greeted him as the men just sat down on the freezing snow looking gloomy and cold. A chilly wind blew against their thin clothes making each of them shiver.

~*~*~*~*~

"Hnn! Screw this damsel in distress, I've just saved myself!" Alanna said haughtily to herself as she jumped down the last slab of rock and onto the flat grassy ground. She glared at her brother, who was sipping wine and was seated on the luxurious chair. Stomping up to him she screamed into his ear. "What was the big idea of keeping up that mountain for so long!?"

Thom's spat out his drink, startled, and started coughing. "_Alanna_!? W-W-What are you doing here!?" he cried.

Alanna shrugged like it wasn't a big deal. "I just saved myself from freezing to death." 

"But they were supposed to rescue you!" Thom cried in frenzy. "Now they're probably freezing on top of that mountain!"

Alanna blinked a couple of times letting it sink in. "I'll go save them." She said dryly.

~*~*~*~*~

Thom shook his head, as he looked at bunch of icicles in the shape of men front him before muttering a spell.

"Ahh! I feel free!" cried George as he lay happily on the grass. The other men agreed with him and started to kiss the 'precious' flat ground.

Thom rolled his eyes. "The last one to reach the mountain was … Douglass! Sorry Douglass, but it seems as though you're out of the game!" 

Douglass looked ready to cry.

"Please! Don't start." Thom begged.

"WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!" came the ear-piercing wail.

~*~*~*~*~

**A/N Yes!!! I finally finished this chapter!!!! Please review, only reviews keep me writing!**

****

**** VOTE FOR THE PERSON THAT YOU WANT **OUT** OF THIS GAME** (in your review) May the best Bachelor win!****

Jon

George

Liam

Gary

Roger

Raoul

Sacherell

Douglas

Geoffrey

Much Love,

~*~Angel-Goddess~*~

aka Tenshi-Megami****

PLEASE don't flame me! *begs on hands and knees* 


	5. On hold! Sorry!

Readers/Reviews,

I'm really sorry, but I _really _have to put this story on hold for a while, it won't take long. I've been really over worked lately, I've just started year 9 this week. I've been given a bunch of homework, I'm doing after school classes, I have to update over 6 fics and I've been really tired, _it's too much for a girl who's turning 14 in 9 days!!!!_ _ 

_Please_, **_all _**I ask for you is to be patient with me, I'm just going to finish one of my old fics that's been going on for a while, and then I'll work on this fic. 

I really do hope you understand what I'm going through at the moment! 

Sincerely,  
~*~Angel-Goddess~*~  
http://www.geocities.com/chibi_angel_goddess


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